The death toll from powerful earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye last month has risen to 50,096, an official from the nation’s disaster agency said on Monday.
Yunus Sezer, the head of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), said on Monday 107,204 people were injured in the disaster.
On February 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck 11 Turkish provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.
More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the devastating quakes and many others in northern Syria.
Humanitarian aid from Pakistan
Meanwhile, the first Pakistani ship carrying humanitarian aid for earthquake victims arrived at Türkiye’s southern Mersin International Port on Monday.
The ship belonging to the Pakistani Navy set off with a ceremony held at the Karachi Port on February 28.
The military ship carrying 22,000 blankets, 1,800 winter tents, and various support materials was welcomed by Mers in Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Türkiye Yousaf Junaid and other officials.
“Of course, Türkiye and Pakistan have diplomatic relations, but beyond that, there are fraternal relations, which are deepening and developing day by day. We are experiencing an example here today,” Pehlivan said.
Stressing that Türkiye is trying to heal the wounds of the devastating earthquake, he said the aid from brotherly and friendly countries such as Pakistan made them very happy.
He added that the solidarity in difficult times is unforgettable and will be remembered with kindness.
Pehlivan said that the second aid ship is expected to arrive in Mersin on March 23.
“We are not friends, we are brothers. We believe that every problem of Türkiye is also a problem of Pakistan. The hearts of Turks beat with Pakistan and the hearts of Pakistanis with Türkiye,” Junaid said.
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